It's no secret I coveted this palette for ages. I've heard many positive reviews and I absolutely loved the shade selection in it, but despite the reassurances that this palette is better, I'll admit that due to my previous experience with Makeup Revolution/I Heart Makeup/Freedom Makeup eyeshadow palettes, all of which left me wanting more, I never came round to ordering it and also because I tend to wait so long before I clear something from my wishlist, since I'm a person that considers every purchase very carefully. Luckily, Ličila.si saw my wishlist and took pity on me by surprisingly me with this palette. I literally screamed from happiness when I opened the parcel and I will be eternally grateful for this, it's not often that a company takes your taste into account, but you have no idea how much easier it is to write about something that interests you. Much like their other palettes, the quality slightly varies between the shades, mostly as far as matte shades are concerned, but a majority of shades perform well for a budget palette.

Texture: I know everyone says this one is better than the rest of such palettes, but I'm going to be that one person that's going to say: it's the same. Again we have a selection of colours that vary in terms of quality. The shimmery shades are nice, creamy with a decent pay-off and they blend nicely. Matte eyeshadow are again the same as in other palettes - more on the dry side, though admittedly not chalky, but the pigmentation just isn't the same as in more high-end palettes. The colours do build up without a base, it just takes more layers and staying power isn't that good in that case, but with a primer or a creamy eyeshadow under it, these work a treat and last all day. I'm fully aware these palettes are well loved and if you're on a budget, it's certainly very lovely, but complete brutal honestly - try one of the Wet n Wild palettes and you'll see the massive difference in quality. You merely need to touch those and you have a ton of pay-off on your finger, while at these you need to try a bit more.

Colours: There are 16 colours in this palette, mostly chocolate inspired, but there are also two taupes and a more golden shade. This is definitely one of the prettiest neutral palettes I've seen in terms of colour selection and I like every single colour, since all are so easy to wear and all can be a "one wash wonder". However, though the colours may look different in the pans, a lot turn out to be very similar on my lids, mostly they look coppery. I've said in the New in post already that considering it's trying to be similar to Too Faced Chocolate palettes, there aren't really many similar shades, at least in the first one. Smoothly is, but that one doesn't really count and Choco-fest is similar to one shade, but that one in Too Faced vastly outperforms it. My point is that if you own the Too Faced version and still want to try this one, you won't end up with a ton of dupes.

Row 1

Smoothly - a classic, beige skin tone shade with a slightly satin finish. A simple base shade.

Divine - a coppery shade with a shimmery finish. It's much warmer on my lids than it appears in the palette. Feels creamy to the touch in the pan and has a decent colour pay-off, though it needs layering.

Mocha Lover - a bronze-looking shade with a shimmery finish. On my eyes it's very similar to Divine, as is the quality.

Dipped - Patina-ish (by MAC's) warm brown shade. My favourite lid shade in the palette and one of the most unique ones, though again very different on my eyes as it's quite a lot warmer and more brown looking.

Choc-fest - a matte burgundy shade. It's more on the dry side, so it need s sticky base and layering for an opaque colour pay-off, but it's a nice shade to deepen the outer corners. 

Row 2

Adorable - a light, beige-golden shimmery shade. A great inner corner highlight shade. It's soft and pigmented, but a touch chalky.

Buttons - taupe-bronze shimmery shade that again looks much warmer on my eyes, a bit more reddish. Quality is the same as Divine, so creamy, but it's more pigmented.

Frosted Choc - a copper shade that has less purple and more yellow tones than Divine, but looks very similar on my lids. The quality is the same as Divine, so creamy with an ok pigmentation.

Delight - a medium cool-taupe brown with red and red micro shimmer. One of the rare shades that doesn't look coppery on me. Nice pigmentation and it's creamy to the touch, but less that other such shades.

Sweet Choc - a medium, matte, warm brown. Best performing matte in the palette, but still dry to the touch.

Sugar - a warm, slightly reddish, but most classic brown. Pigmentation is a bit on the weak side as it's more of a dry eyeshadow rather than creamy like the rest shimmery shades.

Row 3

Double Dip - a shimmery, yellow gold shade. Too yellow for my taste, but I combined it with a taupe base once and it worked out nicely. Pigmented and creamy.

Tob-le-rone - a matte taupe and least pigmented shade in the palette. Very dry to the touch with not a lot of colour pay-off, despite that I use it in the crease. 

Wonka - a matte deep brown. My favourite shade for defining outer corners because it doesn't look reddish on me.

Milky - a matte rosy taupe and better quality than Tob-le-rone. I love this one on the lid and aside from Dipped, again a unique shade. A bit dry to the touch, but with an ok colour pay-off.

Way - a shimmery light yellow gold. I don't use this one to be honest. Too yellow for a highlight and lid. It looks like a duo chrome like eyeshadow because the shimmer changes colour from yellow to green.

Staying power: These last averagely on the lids. While there is plenty of colour at the end of the day, it's more about how they wear. They tend to wear off and crease on their own, but primer helps a lot, as does cream eyeshadow.

Scent: Just like Too Faced version, I've heard promises this has a faint scent of chocolate. It smells like regular MR/I <3 M /FM eyeshadows, so cheap, but with the tinniest hint of sweetness. It doesn't even begin to compare to the delightful scent of the Too Faced version.

Price and availability: Slovene readers can get it on Ličila.si for 10.95 €. For international readers it's sold on Makeup Revolution site.

 Have a great day!

*PR product, but no conditions were set.

ZOEVA Rose Golden Complete Eye Set Vol. 2

I finally have these! My wallet is still crying, but I've reached a point when most of my trusted brushes are too scratchy, so I thought it's high time I invest into a good quality set of brushes. The fact that they are pretty and that everyone who got this set raves about it, contributed to my purchase of course. There are twelve brushes in the set, very few of these are actually brush shapes I own from before, but I found one dupe. I'll have all the comparison pictures with my other brushes in the review. I am completely, utterly besotted with two brushes - Luxe Petit Crease and Contour Shader (also available individually). Both made me realize that I've been using the wrong brushes since forever. All of the blending brushes are outstanding and I love there are so many, but on the other hand I'm slightly disappointed with the Classic Shader brush because it's much bigger and thinner than Mac's 239, which is perfect in my eyes. There are also a few brushes that I'm not sure I'll get to use a lot, but on a whole I'm very pleased with these and the bag is super pretty too.

Zoeva, 75 € + shipping.

MILANI Color Statement Moisture Matte Lipstick

Flirty

I wanted this shade so much ever since new colours were released (I still want Love). I own Darling from before, it's the shade I got as a part of my blogging for an online shop and I fell in love with the formula, so I wanted to get my hands on more of these. Flirty looked most like my type of shade, which is anything that looks like Mac's D for Danger and Milani's Amore in Gorgeous. It is indeed such a shade, even though in the tube it looks very dark, pretty much vampy, but on the lips it's lighter. The formula is slightly different than at Darling. It's a bit more "moisturising creamy", instead of "silicone creamy" and it's less matte, but still very similar and it has the same vanilla scent. These are definitely my favourite classic lipsticks so far.

Beauty Joint, 5.99 $, also on Click2Chic.

MILANI Powder Blush

Blossomtime Rose

I probably sounded like a broken record when I talked about these in my wishlists. Shade Romantic Rose is my all-time favourite shade and I really wanted to get my hands on more of these, not just because of the gorgeous design, but also because I love the quality. Blossomtime Rose is a limited edition shade, I don't know how long it will be available, but I believe it's been almost a year and I hope they keep them because unlike the original ones, these have some shimmer in them. Blossomtime Rose is a peachy pink blush with a proper golden highlight glow and it's in the same colour family as the cult favourite Nars Orgasm. I swatched them side by side and Blossomtime is more coral-golden, but not as much as Coralista. I need Awakening Rose next.

Beauty Joint, 9.99 $, also on Click2Chic.

*I HEART MAKEUP Naked Chocolate Palette

Again something to finally cross from my wishlist, this really was a month of getting products I actually really wanted for a while. Regular readers might remember I put this in a couple of wishlist posts and a lot of you encouraged me to get it because you love the quality. Ličila.si saw that I really covet it and surprised me with it out of the blue. There was some happy jumping involved. Considering it's kind of trying to rip off Too Faced Chocolate Bar palettes, the shade range is actually very different from the original one I own, in fact there are almost no dupe shades in it. There are 16 colours in this palette, mostly chocolate inspired and very warm, but there are also two taupes and a more golden shade. Some shades are very similar on the eyelids, but I'm not bothered by that much - having a double or triple amount of a shade I like, really isn't a bad thing. I like all the shades in the palette, all are very wearable, but when it comes to quality, there is a gap between high-end eyeshadows and this budget palette. The colours do build up without any sort of base, but staying power is not as good as other palettes, also the texture is drier, not as creamy. With a cream eyeshadow as a base, these work brilliantly and last all day. Pretty happy with it considering it's a budget palette.

Ličila.si, 10.95 €

Za brezplačno poštnino pri nakupu nad 10 € do konca maja uporabi kodo POMLADNA-POSTNINA

*FREEDOM MAKEUP ProStudio Strobe Cream

This is a new product to me, as I sort of missed the new strobing products that have been launched recently. I'm a big fan of natural looking, cream highlighters and this one is definitely something special. It's weak compared to L'Oreal's Magic Lumi primer, but I mean that in a good way. It's a "healthy glow" faker. It behaves like a rich moisturiser at application, but then is set in record time, so you don't have a ton of time to work with it and the effect is a subtle, glowy healthy skin finish with no visible shimmer particles. Naturally, I love it. You can apply it before foundation, after or mix it with the foundation, I prefer to apply it after for best effect. 

However, I gave to my friend to try and she was really disappointed in it. Granted, I don't think she actually got the idea of the product and I personally wouldn't want a ton of shimmer in a product that is meant to be applied on larger areas of the face, but she say she noticed absolutely no difference when she used it. It's all a matter of preferences, so if you like more glow, they have another product called Ultra Strobe Cream.

Ličila.si, 11.95 €

*MAKEUP REVOLUTION  Ultra Metals Pointed Crease Eyeshadow E301

I got this a couple of weeks before Zoeva brushes, so I had plenty of time to test it on its own before I became completely besotted with that set. I had my eye on these ever since they launched, as rose gold is a big trend at the moment, but as you may remember I got a cheaper set of such brushes. This is the type of brush I use the most for my eye makeup (or at least I did). It's a small domed shape brush, this one is synthetic and soft, but despite being slightly more smooth "plastic" feeling, it picks up the colour well. It blends great like most brushes from such material of bristles. The design is very high-end looking, but for that price I expect nothing less. I like it, but it is expensive, still pretty much all similar brushes I bought so far did not feel as comfortable as this one, Essence ones for example are much denser and harsh.

Makeup Revolution Crease brush compared to Nanshy Eye Crease Brush, Essence Smokey Eye and Coastal Scents Italian Round Crease Brush.

 Ličila.si, 9.99 €

ESSIE Apricot Cuticle Oil

I had this on my wishlist for years, but since it's quite expensive I only got it recently, when I decided to finally clear out my wishlist. It's an apricot oil that comes in a regular nail polish bottle and it's very easy to apply on the cuticles with the brush. It does smell like apricots - well it's more of an apricot-peachy scent, but not in a candy way and not plastic, it's just a nice scent and it makes me want to use it more, even though there's the whole greasy fingers tips problem later. So far I can't say it's fixed my cuticles much. I still get some hangnails and they feel harsh, but maybe with longer use things will improve.

Ingredients.

DM, 10.99 €

ESTEE LAUDER Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Recovery Complex II

Told you've been clearing my wishlist. I had this about four or five years ago and I adored it because it's a skin care product that you can rely on. It's super expensive, so I have been delaying repurchasing it for a really long time and stuck only to my other favourite Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, but recently was sent to test some skin care products and despite my general disagreement with testing skin care, I used those products. Guess what, it messed up my skin so bad that I immediately ordered what is now the most expensive product I own. Advance Night Repair is a cult favourite serum that manages to fix the skin quite fast. It helps the blemishes to heal faster, the skin becomes more hydrated and healthy looking - it's just a general all-rounder, an addition to the skin care routine that's reliable. The packaging comes with a pipette that dispenses the desired amount and the serum itself is light, like most such products and it sinks in fast. It has a pharmacy scent that some people don't like, but I've grown to love.

Ingredients.

Look Fantastic, 60 € (price in Müller 83 €)

ESSENCE I <3 Extremes Waterproof Mascara

I recently raved about this mascara again, but it deserves all the praise, as this is my favourite budget mascara. Since mine dried up, I immediately went to repurchase it. It's super volumising, lengthening, doesn't smudge, flake, the brush isn't as clumsy, it's cheap and it keeps the eyelashes curled all day. Love this stuff.

DM, 2.99 €

BALEA Clear-up Strips

Originally I was going to repurchase the Balea Young version, which are so far the only ones I actually liked, but then I saw in Simona's haul that these are supposedly the best ones she found, so I'm giving these ones a try instead. Something is really perplexing at these patches. As you can see on the box, it's clearly pictured there are supposed to be three versions of patches: for the nose, forehead and chin, however, there is no description on the actual individual packs what's inside and both I opened had a nose strip. I'm miffed about that since I bought them precisely because I wanted all three types of patches and Balea Young has them individually. There are six patches inside, which if I remember correctly is twice as much as in Balea Young, but the price difference is only a euro. I do not find these are effective as Balea Young. They do pull out the blackheads, but not as many. So far I've only used them once (I cut one into two parts for the chin and forehead) and I didn't feel the strips properly dried (I was in a steamy bathroom), so that could be the reason why the didn't work as well.

DM, 2.99 €

*JORDANA Made to Last Liquid Eyeshadow

04 Uphold Gold

This is a very liquid eyeshadow that comes in a doe foot design tube. There is a lot of product on the applicator and I wish that the stopper would a be bit smaller because without wiping the product off, you can't apply this directly to the lids or use the applicator to semi-blend it. I tend to apply a dot of the product on the lids and spread it with fingers. First layer is a bit sheer, but very, very shimmery - these are by far the most shimmery eyeshadows I own. You should wait a bit before applying the second layer and then you get a properly metallic finish, but the shimmer is still the main focus and it looks very glamorous, so I wouldn't wear these for every day. Once it sets, it doesn't budge and it lasts pretty much all day on my normal lids, though the colour can start gathering around the big shimmer particles, but it's still very decent. My shade 04 Uphold Gold is a coppery gold brown, a very warm shade with a ton of gold shimmer and granted a shade I wouldn't pick myself, since these type of shades tend to look a bit orangey on me, but it'll be perfect on darker skin tones.

Review in Slovene with swatches and product shown on my face here.

Click2Chic, 5.81 €

*JORDANA Blush Powder

45 Apple Cheeks

I read about these when I was researching Jordana's products and these have a very high rating. I got one of the darkest shades and boy is it pigmented! I apply the tinniest amount on my cheek, taking a lot of the product off on the back of hand so I don't over apply and I get the cutest warm pink "Snow White" flush on the cheeks. It blends ok despite the strong pigmentation providing of course the base it's wet or tacky and it really gives me that very believable flush. Cute product.

Review in Slovene with swatches and product shown on my face here.

Click2Chic, 3.79 €

*JORDANA Sweet Matte Liquid Lip Colour

06 Cherry Cobbler

Yay, a new matte lip cream! This one is very deceiving because it looks a simple warm red in the tube, but on the lips it's a bright, hot red that demands attention. It's similar to Milani's in terms of finish and it takes mere second to set to a perfect matte look. After that is doesn't transfer one bit. It does feel like a layer, just like Milani's, so for some it will feel drying, but it's fine to me. It's slightly thicker than most lip creams I tried and it's also a touch sheer, which means that the first coat is an even pinker shade, while the second makes it redder and warmer. Staying power is amazing and you worry more about how you're going to take it off (though this happens at a lot of these types of pink).

Review in Slovene with swatches and product shown on my face here.

Click2Chic, 5.00 €

BALEA Rasier Gel

Coconut Kiss

I think this is quite new, at least I've seen it for the first time. Currently I have the grapefruit version, which has a nice, kind of bitter, refreshing scent. Coconut Kiss is slightly different than the rest. The gel is a clear "pee yellow" shade, but it transforms into the usual foam, yet I think it's slightly thinner than usually. The scent is a bit disappointing. It's a very fake coconut scent, a bit plastic and not sweet. Not my favourite edition to be honest.

DM, 1.99 €

AVON Bubble Bath

Juicy Mango

So many people rate Avon's bubble baths very highly and I always planned to getting one, but their ordering system irks me. I scored this bottle of Salma in a scent that I assumed will me most to my taste, since I love tropical fragrances. The scent is more on the boring side because it's a soapy mango instead of a juicy or candy mango, plus once it's in the bath, it's not really noticeable. Reviews promised mountains of bubbles, but I poured a quarter of a bottle and the effects were kind of underwhelming. There were bubbles, maybe about 10 cm thick cover of them, but that's not a mountain of bubbles. In fact, those Lidl/Hoffer baths produce more of them. I expected more considering the raves.

Salma, 2.90 €

SILISS Depilating wax with no strips

I kind of swore myself I'll won't buy these types of products because they aren't effective enough. I've only tried one so far from Nair that I also got in Leclerc and it's a complicated thing to use and as I said in that review it only removes half of the hair, but it's almost painless. It's a wax that doesn't require any strips, instead you warm it up in a microwave, apply it on the skin, it hardens in seconds and you pull it off, which is so satisfying because it's like those nose strips. Ridiculous I know. This one again only did half of the job and it had a really strong, plastic scent. I used up 3/4 of the pot for both shins and I still had to finish the job with the epilator. Too expensive considering the results. This is a brand I've only seen in Leclerc and for some reason the only useful instructions were in French. Luckily I understood enough, but still, this is EU, there should be ones in Slovene.

E.Leclerc, 6.70 €

*James Bond 007 for Women Body Lotion (Eon Productions)

A few weeks ago, I got one of the strangest parcels so far. It contained a proper cocktail shaker with the recipe for Bond's martini in the back of the box, but what important for this post is what was inside the shaker - a mini body lotion that was launched alongside the new James Bond fragrance. I tried the fragrance in the shop before I got this and it was the gorgeous bottle that got me. I liked it, but not enough to want to buy it, though that bottle could sway me to purchase if there was a nice discount. It's what I consider a sexy scent - fruity, sweet, but deeper, peppery, vanillary and more of a night time fragrance. The only similar scent I know of is Cacharel Amor Amor which is a similar mix of berries and vanilla. The body lotion is light and has a very intense scent, so can easily be a replacement for a fragrance and it will prolong the scent of the proper fragrance when layered over it.

Notes of the fragrance:

Top: pink pepper, pink freesia, raspberry and pink champagne.

Heart: blackberry, gardenia, pink oleander and black baccarat rose

Base: musk, vanilla, cedar, sandalwood and leather.

*NAOMI CAMPBELL Bohemian Garden

Sample

Generic, fancy shampoo or shower gel scent, mostly due to the jasmine note, so best words to describe it are floral, creamy and woody. It smells old school and it's more of a scent you might encounter on someone older. Likeable in a very classic way, but nothing exciting or innovative.

Notes:

Top: lemon, green pear and peach blossom

Heart: jasmine, lily of the valley, cotton flower, orange blossom and elegant rose

Base: musk, vanilla, green moss, sandalwood and cedar

*Silver Arrow Necklace from Happiness Boutique

This is the necklace in the picture with the Jordana liquid lipstick above. I usually don't accept PR products that aren't beauty related and I didn't agree to making a post about it, merely to very loose terms because I hate this kind of "advertisement" that I'm doing now, but when they first send the necklace it got lost and they really made sure I still got it by sending me another, so due to that great customer service, I felt it deserves a proper place here. I choose quite a simple, more dainty piece for a statement necklace, as I've been wanting an arrow necklace for quite some time, though two more pieces still haunt me why I didn't pick them, 1 & 2 because they look awesome. The arrow necklace is a bit long for my neck and it ends lower than on my picture, but I'm very petite.

Happiness Boutique, 14.90 €

Have a great day!

Makeup Revolution with their subsidiary brand I <3 Makeup has so many new beauty launches in short spans of time that I have trouble following them all, so this palette completely eluded me. Nonetheless, when I first opened it, I was greeted by a lovely sight on a nice collection of neutral eyeshadows. But when I started using it, it was exactly as I expected for a budget palette.

Black Velvet palette contains 16 eyeshadows, most of them are matte and three are satin-shimmery ones. Upon first inspection it looks like a lovely collection of neutrals, but when you start swatching them you realize how similar some shade are - certainly too similar to be in one palette. The quality varies from eyeshadow to eyeshadow, as is the standard for MR palettes, but much to my surprise the shimmery ones are some of the poorest in the palette. Mattes perform ok, again some better than the others, but mostly the shades are sheer and need a lot building up as well as some are a bit chalky. This is not a palette I'd pick up when in a hurry, especially since I'm quite inpatient and I don't want to slowly build up the colour on my lids. This sheerness also brings about another problem - a lot of the shades, even in varying intensities look alike on the lids if you don't apply a lot of them. Building up the colour is the main thing you need to know about this palette.

True - a cream shade with a matte-satin finish. A classic base colour.

Want - taupe with a slight rosy hue and a matte finish. Great shade for in the crease for pale people with a cool/neutral skin tone. Appears creamy in the pan, but needs building up.

Long - a shimmery light gold. Such a disappointing shade due to poor pigmentation. It's like a sheer wash of shimmer on the lids, unless you really build it up with fingers because it's almost impossible with a brush.

Feel - a medium brown-bronze shade. Less disappointing than Long, but you still need so many layers for decent opacity. I don't know why this shade performs bellow average, as a similar colour in the I Heart Sin palette is really good.

Black - classic matte black. 

Baby - light matte cool pink. Another base colour. I don't really understand why it was needed in the palette since there is already a double sized cream base shade True, but you could argue that this pink one is more brightening or better on cool tones. 

Please - a curry colour or a warm medium matte yellow-brown. This has a slight orange hue on my skin due to warmth of the shade, but I tend to use it in the crease or all over the lid. The pigmentation is not the best.

Sweet - warm matte brown-terra rossa shade. A nice shade to put in the crease for warm skin tones and I use it like that as well, but it also looks nice all over the lid. The pigmentation is much better than at Please. 

Sin - deep matte grey-taupe. This looks quite intense in the pan, but it's sheerer on the skin and also a touch warm, so it looks like a deep warm taupe on the eyes. Pigmentation is not the best.

Tender - a touch lighter cream shade than True. No need to have this in the palette as well.

Slow - medium matte grey. Pigmentation is ok.

Sweet (yes, another one. I'm as confused as you are) - medium vintage rose shade with a matte finish. It's a very interesting shade and I like it on the lids, but the pigmentation is just decent.

Bring - medium cool brown. One of the best pigmentations in the palette.

Wild - a warm purple. A pleasant surprise in the otherwise quite neutral palette. Pigmentation is nice for a matte eyeshadow in such a purple shade.

Cry - gunmetal  shimmery deep grey. Nice pigmentation, but to me it feels a bit out of place in this palette.

Velvet - another black eyeshadow, but of a slightly lesser quality than the other one. Not sure why the felt it necessary to have two black eyeshadows.

Due to the need of layering, the staying power is actually quite good. It doesn't last amazingly well, but it can survive a regular school/work day if you have normal or dry lids, while on greasy ones these will crease, so I suggest a primer. 

The packaging is made from velvet, which gathers dust like crazy (why would they think this is a good idea?) and it has a black (khm…gaudy…khm) crystal in the middle. The quality of the packaging is nice, it's sturdy and nothing is loose, plus it has a big mirror. 

I Heart Makeup paleta senčil Black Velvet stane 10,95 € na Ličila.si.

*I was sent this palette.

MAKEUP

MAX FACTOR Excess Shimmer 

Bronze

I've heard some raves about these eyeshadows, but I find them so expensive, so I waited for a discount. This was one of the two shades I found appealing, however, the other shimmery taupe-light brown shade was out of stock. Bronze is a medium-deep warm brown shade with some bronze tones in it, so it's definitely more of a smoky eye colour. The texture is so soft, almost like a cross between a mousse and liquid eyeshadow, plus it's very pigmented, so I only need to touch the surface very lightly or I end up with too much product. It's not as easy to use as Maybelline's Tattoos mostly because it's messier, though it still blends easily. I noticed this only after I was taking pictures for the review, but it doesn't look nice when I close the eyes. It looks uneven, so it's better if you put an eyeshadow on top. It also creases.

DM, 9.99 €

L'OREAL Les Blancs Nail Polish

858 Ocean Porcelaine

I wanted a proper pastel blue nail polish for a long time, but always forgot to check which ones we actually have here. This one is without a doubt the prettiest one in my eyes, as it's a white base with a touch of sky blue in it. It looks so pretty on the nails, I just can't stop looking at them. The formula is quite a sheer and light for a pastel nail polish, so I need three coats for a nice even opaque finish. The bottle contains only 5 ml, which is very little for the price, but I adore the colour.  

DM, 5.19 €

ESSENCE Longlasting Lipliner

03 Yummy Berry

These are all over the blogs I follow, and though I am not a fan of Essence lip liners, I gave them a try. The colour of Yummy Berry surprised me because I expected a warmer, redder shade, but it's a cool toned fuchsia on me, which is a very different shade than I'm used to and it makes my face look paler, but I think it's a nice colour. Formula is nothing special, just as I suspected. They are less creamy than their old lip liners, but better than Catrice's when it comes to comfort because those are a bit sticky and thick.

Müller 1.59 €

NAIL POLISH

ESSENCE Effect Nail Polish

32 The Black Cat

I got this solely to fix scuff marks on bags. Compared to their Black is Back nail polish, this has a thinner formula and yet just like at that one, two coats were enough for full opacity. It takes a longer time to dry and it ends up with a what I can only describe as latex finish, so like medicinal gloves, but in black matte way.

Müller, 1.49 €

ESSENCE The Gel Nail Polish

13 Forgive Me

This looked like a dusty pink in the shop, but at home I realized it's Miss Piggy pink colour. I don't think I ever even owned such a pink nail polish, but it's cute. It's darker on the nails than in the bottle, so it has a very Barbie vibe. The formula is a nice one, two coats was enough for full opacity and it's very smooth. I applied this with no base or top coat and it survived a rigorous firewood collecting/stacking (well, two. Oh, the glamorous life I live) intact except for a barely noticeable chip on the tip of my left index finger.

Müller, 1.69 €

SKINCARE

Inell Mousse Nettoyante Hydratante

I repurchased this even though I haven't run out of my can yet, but Leclec isn't exactly in my backyard, so I seize every opportunity I get. This is my favourite morning cleanser and there is nothing I dislike about it. It's a dense mousse that's comes in what resembles a whipped cream can, so it's super fun to use and it's also gentle, does its job and smells nice. Plus did you see the price of this thing? It's almost cheaper than bread.

E. Leclerc, 1.51 €

CADEAVERA Peel Off Maske

I don't know who was it, but someone said: "I forgot how great these peel off masks feel" and it just got stuck in my head. I remember using one that I got as a sample a million years ago (yes I'm that old. I did my driver's licence on a dinosaur), but I probably used it wrong because I was even a bigger idiot back then than now. So gave them another try and just grabbed the cheapest one in Müller. There is a ton of alcohol in it, but I'll only use it a few times. It's like a thick glue when you're applying it on the skin and though it says to apply it in a thin coat, I remembered from first time that was a bad idea. It smells strongly of some sort of herbal schnapps, so sharp and alcoholic. You're supposed to leave it for 10-15 minutes and it starts getting tighter at about 10 minute mark, but I left it on for 15 to be save. Much to my surprise and contrary to expectation, I pulled it off remarkably easy, which is a complete difference from torturefest I remember from the first time. The pain was minimal, only at the edges where there's more hair. Did it do anything? I'm not sure. The pores looked about the same and there wasn't anything on the dried up mask, but the skin did look clearer.

Ingredients.

Müller, 0.69 €

BATH AND BODY

BALEA Bodybutter Nuss

This was on my wishlist for ages, but I refrained from buying it until I used one of mine up. Sara from Passing Fancy teased us with the description that this smells like Monte, our childhood essential, so naturally the huge sweet tooth I am, I knew I needed this in my life. Turns out Sara was completely spot on, this smells exactly like our beloved dessert. It's an intense chocolate hazelnut scent and when I was applying this, I once got so confused that started looking around if I left a chocolate on my bed. For some reason when I gave other people to smells this, they disliked it. Those people have the same sweet tooth like me, so they must have their head examined. The texture is very, very thick, if you had their Cocoa version, this is the same. It sits on the skin for a long time, but moisturises the driest of skins and is great for emergencies with dry patches and the likes.    

Ingredients.

DM, 2.99 €

REXONA Invisible Pure Anti-Perspirant

I don't know which repurchase of this deodorant in a row is this, though this one has a different label than my usual one, but I'm sure the content is the same. So far it's still working well, which is a minor miracle as far as my deodorant history goes and it's only downside are white marks.

DM, 2.99 €

BALEA Pflegecreme Sail Away

With raspberry scent

This is the newest version of these small universal creams. I must say Balea outdid themselves with these, they are so adorable, you could just stare at their cute retro designs for hours and the texture is amazing as well. This one smells like raspberry fragrance, so it's a soapy version of the scent rather that sweets. I mostly use these as hand cream because they sink in so fast, but they can be used for a lot of purposes and are great for emergencies to carry in the bag.

DM, 1.19 €

BALEA Pflegecreme 50's Forever

I got the "old" version as well, just because I really like it and I'm worried it might disappear from the shelves, but I still have my old one left. This one smells like cherry candy.

DM, 0.99 €

SAUBÄR Badestern

Honig LE

Bath star with honey scent

This smells amazing in the packaging, like some proper honey stuff, just as L'Occitane makes them. It's shaped as a star, so it looks cute as well, however, in the bath is boring. It fizzes gently, the honey scent is not present any more and it turns the water lime green. The latter part is the most interesting one. It contains some jojoba oil and indeed my skin wasn't flaky on my legs as usual after a bath. 

Ingredients.

0.99 €

YVES ROCHER Raspberry Fizzy Bath Cube

I'm trying different bath bombs on a budget because a couple of months ago I had absolutely nothing to put in my bath water and that had to change. I haven't used either of these Yves Rocher ones yet, but through the packaging I can smell a raspberry tea fragrance. I'm planning to do a collective post about these budget baths.

Yves Rocher, 1.40 €

YVES ROCHER Strawberry Fizzy Bath Cube

This one smells like strawberry sweets through the packaging.

Yves Rocher, 1.40 €

HAIR CARE

L'OREAL Elseve Extraordinaire Oil Nourishing Shampoo

This was already in my monthly favourites because I've been using it for a month now and there's 1/3 of it gone already. Since I can't find my beloved Glat-Intense version anywhere (why?! Just why?!), I've decided to try if this new version I've been seeing everywhere compares. The texture looks exactly the same and it foams the same, the major difference is the scent, which is a bit cinnamon like. As far as result go they are indeed very similar. It's again a fantastic shampoo, which cleans well and isn't at all stripping. This shares it's first place with the Glat-Intense version as my favourite drugstore shampoo.

Ingredients.

Interspar, 3 €

DOVE Pure Pflege Schwerelos Ől Spűlung

Quench Absolute Conditioner

I've been using the other version for years, but haven't had the chance to try the ones in the new packaging. I've used it twice and the first time I hated it as it left my hair dry and at the same time it didn't felt like it hasn't rinsed off completely. The second time I used baking soda as a cleansing shampoo before and this worked a lot better. It's still an average conditioner with a medium thickness texture and a surprisingly non-Dove scent (it's still a clean, albeit a bit sharp scent). It works ok, but I find it's not as good as their old version. I need to use it more to tell you how I truly feel about it.

Ingredients.

Müller, 4.95 €

PHYTO Phytosquam Intense

I already talked about this in latest empties, so this is an one week of use update. After initially being pleased with the effects of this shampoo, especially when it comes to removing that stubborn layer of dandruff that is stuck on my scalp, I noticed that on the second day after washing, there is a new layer of dandruff again. I've been using it every second day as recommended, which is much more often than I'm used to washing my hair and I don't see much improvement. I'll try to use a thicker layer of it on dry scalp and leave it for a bit longer because as far as long term effects go, the way it's suggested to be used, doesn't appear to be working. The nozzle is super handy, but it is leaking if it's turned down or the tube is lying on its side. The shampoo foams well for a natural one and it smells a bit like burned rubber.  I will update you with results at the end of the treatment.

Ingredients.

Leposana, 20.50 €

L'OREAL Studio Line Hot & Go Thermo-Föhn Spray

This must be new because I've never seen it anywhere before and I literally just grabbed it without any prior research. I liked the idea of an aerosol heat protectant because most such products make your hair wet and you can't use heat tools immediately. I am unsure about this product. It works ok on damp hair, however, it's nothing spectacular, it just works as a basic heat protection that doesn't weight down the hair and it super easy to distribute due to the aerosol form. But I got this to use on dry hair before curling and it's wetter than I expected. Also on random strands it felt a touch sticky, but what bothered me most was that it has a hairspray feel to it. It does have a tendency to make the hair a bit stiff, which is not necessarily a bad thing if your hair is limp and fine as it will give you texture and therefore some extra hold, but on my hair that effect is drying, which doesn't terribly please me. It smells somewhat like a classic hairspray.

I used it on this picture here. This is third day hair without a hair spray or texturizing spray that I usually use. I also used Phytosquam and Dove conditioner.

Müller, 4.89 €

L'OREAL Elvital Ől Magique Nährende Balsam-Maske

Elseve Extraordinary Oil Hair Mask 

If the German name confuses you, it's because I got it in Müller and they sell stock meant for German markets, while Interspar and the likes have products with English names, but it's from the same line as the shampoo. I got this after liking the shampoo and I'm unsure about it. The texture is thicker than that of Total Repair 5, yet it does less for my hair than the latter. On my hair it didn't feel enough and I expected it to work great in combination with the shampoo. It has a similar scent as the shampoo, but a bit different. I'll find me so weird for saying this, but it smells like when you go to Croatian seaside in one of their apartments when they've been just cleaned. Maybe there's a cleaning product with this scent or I'm just plain weird. As with Dove conditioner, I need to use this more before I say my final words about it.

Müller, 5.99 €

ARGAN OIL Hydrating Hair Mask

This is utter, total crap. It ruined my hair by making it look and feel like straw, people genuinely couldn't believe that a masks could do this when they touched my hair. I saw this whilst exploring the never-ending treasure that is Leclerc's beauty department. It caught my eye because it's very cheap and the ingredients looked decent (argan oil on 7th place plus even a bit of keratin). Though it's a thick mask, it has zero moisturising properties. My hair felt awful when I was rinsing it off and I couldn't even run my fingers through my hair when it was dry, that's how tangly it was. Horrible, horrible stuff. If you see this in Leclerc, just ignore it. There was also a shampoo and heat protection spray in this line,  both for a bit over 2 €, but I sure won't be trying those.

E. Leclerc, 2.19 €

PR PRODUCTS

*ALPSTORIES Bath Salt

Sol za kopel

When Alpstories contacted me if I'd like some products, I was on the verge of declining, though I have an unwritten rule to help Slovene based companies. I'm not a natural cosmetics enthusiast, but once I saw their customising tab I got so excited. They allowed me to custom mix my own bath salt, which is something I actually really wanted. I absolutely love the idea, so well done Alpstories for this option. I've seen some Youtubers talk about The Bathory doing the same thing, but it's ridiculously expensive. You can also make your own label, which is just the coolest thing ever and I decided on a simple lavender theme with my logo, though the initial draft was mint green (maybe next time). This mix cost 10 € for 400 g, so it would make an excellent gift idea, plus it's so much fun, especially the label part as you can upload your own pictures. You can also create your own body lotion, massage oil, shower gel, liquid soap and face oil. 

Alpstories, 10.38 €

*ALPSTORIES Organic Shampoo with Aloe Vera

Organski šampon za lase aloe vera

They also send me this shampoo, which was a surprise on their part. I've had bad experience with natural shampoos, they just don't work for my hair nor scalp, but I'll give this a go and let you know how I like it. It smells nice, not at all herbal like most such shampoos, but closer to pharmacy shampoos.

Alpstories, 12.96 €

*ALPSTORIES 100 % Pure Damask Rose Floral Water

100% organska cvetna vodica damaščanske vrtnice

So many people rave about Melvita's rose water and this looks so similar, so I'll finally give this rose water hype a try. I'm not a fan of rose scented products and this has the same type of scent than Super Facialist Calming Creamy Cleanser, but slightly sour, so it's not my favourite. I've only been using it a few days and I'm not sure if I see any significant benefits, perhaps they should reveal themselves long term. I do have a complaint about the spray pump as it doesn't spray a fine enough mist.

Alpstories, 10.34 €

*BORN PRETTY Smooth Liquid Eye Liner with a Panda Design

I've been avoiding Born Pretty mails for the last years, but I finally caved to see if they're decent or not. I had to rename this liner because the name sounds like a search engine score in an eBay way (name on the liner is Sweet Pink Smooth Liquid Eye Liner). I didn't expect much from a liner that looks like a toy and is made in China, but man this is good. After a streak of seriously rubbish liners (looking at you Artdeco and L'Oreal), I've finally been able to do a proper thin line with a flick. The formula does remind me a bit of Artdeco in a sense that it dries a bit fast, but contrary to that one it's not useless. It's a nice black, smooth formula and I love the applicator. If this doesn't dry out in weeks, I'll be repurchasing it. I absolutely adore panda the packaging, it's seriously so cute.

Born Pretty, $5.99

*BORN PRETTY Matte Lip Cream

#36

Another thing I decided to rename. The name on the tube is Me Now Generation II Long Lasting Lip Gloss #36 and on their website it's another "search engine" name. I am genuinely scared of wearing this. Not because it's of Chinese origin, but because this lasts until Christmas on the lips. Seriously, the staying power is insane and it stains, so you have to commit yourself to wearing bright pink for the entire day. The colour is not what I expected based on their swatches and I now wish I've chosen a more demure colour, but I got a compliment on it straight away. If you thought Bourjois' Pink Flamingo was bright, this is like the sun compared to it and those who love long lasting brights, you'll love this. This dries matte fast and into that true matte finish that I love, but it dries into an uniform layer, so for the first few minutes it's not that comfortable, but it gets better. 

Born Pretty, $2.59

I got a code to that gives you 10% off your order MKOH10, which is also in the sidebar.

*L'OCCITANE Pivoin Sublime Créme Perfectrice 

Izboljševalna krema za obraz Popolna potonika, 50 ml

Isn't the packaging of this just too die for? And the scent, my word is it amazing as well. I'm a huge fan of L'Occitane skin care, I've been since my teens and my favourite ever moisturiser is their Angelica Hydrating Cream (dreams are made of that stuff). In fact since I used that pot, I've been without a proper moisturiser, so you have no idea how happy I was to receive this in the mail. The texture is very similar to the Angelica one, meaning it's a medium thickness cream and it sinks in fast, so it's great under makeup. I will enjoy using this pot of cream, that's for sure. There will be a full review.

L'Occitane, 38.10 €. 

*L'OCCITANE Pivoine Sublime Tinted Lip Balm

Rose Nude

Obarvani balzam za ustnice Popolna potonika SPF 25, 4 g. Naravno rožnati odtenek

I already reviewed this here and you can also see there how it looks one the lips. I'm not a huge fan of tinted lip balms, I just prefer wearing proper lipsticks and I didn't expect to wear this a lot either, however, surprisingly I reach for it often. I like that it's not that classic cherry red that pretty much all such tinted lip balms are, but it has this rosy tone to it that looks so pretty. I also love how it smells, but the price is plainly put outrageous for my budget, but there are plenty of people in the world how can easily afford it.

L'Occitane, 16.30 €.

*I HEART MAKEUP Black Velvet Eyeshadow Palette

I just got this so I can't say much about it. I gave it a quick swatch and it's very mixed quality with most of the eyeshadows matte and there are a few satin-shimmery ones. I feel like there is just too many shades that are too similar, though there is a nice mix of interesting neutral shades. That matte purple in the last row seems to be the best shade in the palette and you don't find many good purples. The packaging is dressed in black velvet, which gathers dust like crazy. 

Ličila.si je za vas pripravila posebno kodo za 15 % popust: BRALKABLOGA15. Velja do konca maja, popust pa ne velja za izdelke v akciji, ter znamke Sigma Beauty, Kardashian Beauty in Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Ličila.si, 10.95 €

OTHER BITS

YANKEE CANDLE Soft Blanket

I adore the scent of this. Truly it's one of the most amazing scents ever. But I burned this one and the room didn't smell much which was disappointing. Most candles are terribly disappointing anyway, so I prefer to use essential oils or in YC's case, their melting waxes as they work a lot better

Műller, 2.49 €

Profissimo Candle Wild Fruits

It's rare that I buy candles and I have them mostly for emergencies when the power goes out, but I got this one for two reasons: I wanted the glass pot it comes in, which should be useful for storing makeup and second, I find that a lit candle in the back of the pictures brings some warmth, therefore gets rid of odd colour tinges. This one smells exactly like the pink Hubba Bubba Bubble Tape chewing gum, but like all candles, it doesn't give much fragrance to the room.

DM, 2.99 €

VEET Easy Strip Wax Strips

for sensitive skin

I've decided to give wax strips a go after several years and they are just as rubbish as I remember. This doesn't grab everything it should, so it only does the job half done. The wax residue is easy to remove with oil, plus you get a few wipes as well.

Interspar, 4 €

YVES ROCHER Samples

Thanks to the lovely Katja from Viva La Vida, I got tons of samples of Yves Rocher skin care. I've tried all already and I plan to put these in a future empties post. In general, I'm very pleasantly surprised by their skin care, these are some very good products. The stand out would be Hydra Végétal 24h Intense Hydrating Gel Cream, which is a dead ringer for L'Occitane's Angelica cream, while the BB cream is highly disappointing. 

Have a great day!